Legendary Russian World Champion GM Anatoly Karpov was warmly received by an enthusiastic crowd in his return to Las Vegas in 2012 as the special guest of USCF at the National Open where he gave a simultaneous exhibition and was celebrity host at the International Youth Championship. USCF President Ruth Haring introduced him at the opening ceremony to an appreciative audience at one of the strongest National Opens' ever held.

World Champion Karpov and USCF President Haring held meetings where they discussed Karpov Chess Academies Worldwide, exchanged ideas on how to promote women's participation in chess and to promote chess by infusing chess personalities into popular culture.

Karpov and Haring also discussed several deeply disturbing issues plaguing world chess such as the Turkish ban on Arbiters from certain countries at the upcoming Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, and FIDE rules improvements which would benefit the world-wide chess community.